Hospitality Trends in 2022

“sustainability” once again assumes its position. A natural extension of avoiding disposable plastics, eliminating unnecessary paper consumption thanks to opt-in receipts and reducing food waste, more far-reaching ethical and environmental considerations are shaping decisions made at the hospitality management level. Decisions about things as simple as which towel rails to install during renovations have disproportionate repercussions when implemented at scale. Simple eco-friendly switches include replacing miniature toiletries with larger, locally sourced dispensers, choosing ethically produced bedsheets made from organic materials and reducing energy consumption with smart bulbs, etc. Vegetarian and vegan options also harbor well-known environmental advantages.
9. Virtual & augmented reality 
Following on from the orientation towards visually appealing content, it seems only natural that businesses in the hospitality industry should seek to capitalize on features such as virtual tours, conjuring up a digital environment for consumers to picture themselves in.
Videos providing 360-degree views of restaurant ambiance, café terraces enveloped in greenery or hotel beachfront locations, for instance, are just the ticket to make an establishment stand out this year. As ever, keeping the access threshold low is key to reaching as broad an audience as possible with virtual reality material: making content accessible on a variety of devices, without the need for a VR headset.
Once on site, guests should be able to whip out their trusty sidekick – their smartphone – and simply point it at real-world artefacts to summon up additional information. Augmented reality uses graphical or informational overlays to enhance in-situ environments. Once they have downloaded the respective app, guests can use this tool to access restaurant opening times, reviews or interactive tourist information maps or even create user-generated content. 
10. Traveling less (& Staycations)
Travel restrictions in 2020 and 2021 have facilitated the rise of the staycation. Even with international travel opening back up, between airline price hikes, Covid testing requirements and the complicated bureaucracy involved in going abroad now, many deem foreign travel either too expensive for a big family vacation or not worth the hassle for the weekend breaks of the past. Hence, opting in favor of the staycation trend instead, or simply travelling much less than pre-pandemic levels.
In fact there is a multitude of reasons vacationers may also be choosing to stay closer to home, such as for environmental or budgeting reasons, with this year having seen a marked uptick in holidays spent more locally. Lucky for those who live in an already tourism-rich, picturesque country with a pleasant climate.